A Man for Flowers
by Cyberchao X
Summary: Yes, I stole the title from Inigo's recruitment paralogue because I suck at names and needed something with flowers. Set during the first half of the Birthright route.
1. C

A Man for Flowers  
by Cyberchao X

CCX: …Yes, I took the name of Inigo's recruitment paralogue from _Awakening_ , because I really have no good titles for this fic. I needed it to be something about flowers. Anyway, we're going to start with a slightly modified version of the C Support and go from there.

"Sakura? Lady Sakura?" Hana called out.

"Hana, are you looking for Sakura?" Corrin asked, then internally cringed. _"Of course she is, why else would she be calling her name over and over?"_

Hana jumped. "Eek! Oh, it's you. Do you need me for something?"

"Wait, did you say 'eek' when you saw me? That's not the reaction I get very often…never mind. Sakura isn't over here." Hana thanked him and took her leave, or started to, at any rate. Corrin called after her.

"What is it?" she asked. "I really need to find Lady Sakura."

"I feel like there's some intense animosity coming from you. Did I do something to slight you somehow, or did you simply not show your true feelings at Fort Jinya for Sakura's sake?"

"…'True feelings'?"

"I'm well aware that most Hoshidans view me with considerable distrust, my younger brother among them. I don't even necessarily blame them."

"I trust Sakura. She believes in you, so I believe in you. Besides, you didn't even hesitate to call Takumi your brother, even knowing that he doesn't feel the same way about you. …Lady Sakura has spent years being sad over your kidnapping. I've watched her try to hide the tears countless times. And I don't like someone who makes my best friend cry!"

Much to Hana's surprise, Corrin smiled slightly. "Well, I apologize for the distress I've caused…but if that is the case, then we have a mutual enemy. Garon is the one you should hate, not me; he is responsible for my disappearance."

"I…" _"He's right."_ "I'm sorry. You're just a convenient target because you're here. I beg your leave, Lord Corrin." And then she resumed searching for her liege.

"That was…interesting. I'd better talk to Sakura later."

* * *

CCX: …Well, crap. It seems that Sakura's _A-ranked_ conversation covers similar material, but since this is only the C, I'm setting it fairly early in the campaign—way too early to have an A-rank without seriously grinding DLC. …Oh, well.

* * *

"Sakura? Can we talk?"

"O-okay… What do you want to talk about?" Much to Sakura's surprise, her older brother just hugged her, without saying a word. "Uh…"

"Hana told me that you used to cry over my kidnapping. I had no idea… I just wanted to reassure you that I'm not leaving again."

"Hana said that?"

"Yeah…I felt like she was being hostile towards me, and she told me that she didn't like me because I made you cry."

"B-but it wasn't your fault! I never blamed you! …Actually, I blamed myself."

"Yourself? You were so little…you couldn't have changed anything."

Sakura shook her head. "I heard a rumor…that Nohr originally planned to kidnap me instead. That it should've been me. I doubt it was even true, but…"

"Well, I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere." Sakura tearfully nodded.

* * *

The events of the day continued to race through Corrin's mind during his training, no matter how much energy he expended. After a long time alone with his thoughts, a voice interrupted. "…Lord Corrin? What are you doing awake at this hour?"

"I could ask you the same question, Hana. It must be incredibly late."

"Must be…wait, you haven't _slept_ yet?!"

"Our conversation earlier…I talked to Sakura afterwards. I didn't realize how hard it was on her…I feel like I have to become stronger, to make sure that Garon will never rip another family apart like he did ours."

"Well, it won't be long until the sun rises. I always wake up early to train. I…might be a _little_ earlier than normal, but not much."

"I admire your dedication, Hana. Sakura is lucky to have a retainer like you."

"Thank you, Lord Corrin. It's nice to be recognized by someone other than Lady Sakura for a change."

Corrin stared, dumbfounded, to the point that Hana wondered if he'd fallen asleep on his feet. "Oh, right. I suppose Subaki casts a pretty big shadow, being 'perfect' and all."

Hana giggled. "He makes a point of letting everyone know how perfect he is. He makes mistakes just like everyone else, trust me."

"Oh, I'm sure." Corrin sighed. "I know all about growing up in the shadow of perfection."

Hana was curious, but now wasn't the time. "Maybe you'll have to tell me some time. For now, though, get some rest."

* * *

The next day, the "army", if you could really call it that, marched into Izumo. There, the Nohrian mage Zola set a trap for them, and a hard-fought battle ensued, during which Takumi's retainers joined them. Hinata seemed laid-back enough, but Oboro's hatred for Nohrians was downright venomous, and Corrin worried that she'd be every bit as tough to win over as her liege and Saizo. Upon meeting the real Izana, he found that Zola's impersonation was actually rather good—the real Izana _was_ a buffoon. "Who wants to join me in the sauna? Oh, right. You probably want to hurry off and find your friends. Well, there's no rush. I peeked into their fortunes a little bit just now. And I can tell you that they're both doing okay at the moment."

"Are you s-sure?" Sakura asked. "I'd really like to believe that."

"I swear it on my gold-plated statue of myself. They're fine."

"Well, thank you, Archduke Izana. If you're certain…I suppose a little bit of rest could do us good." Neither Saizo nor Takumi's retainers were terribly happy with this decision. "This was a hard-fought battle. We wouldn't be very effective if we got into another battle so soon after it. We'll leave tomorrow."

Saizo started to object, but Hinoka cut in, "You heard my brother. We rest now and continue in the morning."

That evening, Hana approached Corrin. "Lord Corrin?"

"Oh, Hana. Is something on your mind?"

"Would we still be here if you hadn't been up all night training?" Hana asked with a grin. "…My apologies. That was impertinent. You and I are not equals, after all."

"You're not wrong. Please, feel free to speak your mind, within reason."

"Then in that case…I do feel that you were too soft, allowing Zola to live, but at the same time…I feel like I can trust you in my own right, rather than just as someone that Lady Sakura trusts. It's obvious, seeing you offering mercy to your enemies like that, that you and she are very similar. …Izumo doesn't approve of weaponry, so I think that we'll have no choice but to skip training—especially you, since your typical training time is at night rather than in the morning."

"…When I was younger, my bro—Prince Xander would stay with me when he came to visit until I started to grow tired, and then he would start training. I never went to sleep, though; I stayed up, watching him train, mimicking his movements in an attempt to be more like him. Even now, the tendency to view nighttime as a time to train stays with me."

"When you said you grew up in the shadow of perfection, you were referring to him, weren't you?"

Corrin nodded. "He was the one I looked up to the most. All of us did. Naming Xander as his heir is probably one of the few acts that King Garon has done that I can approve of. He is stern, but fair; I believe he would make a great king, and I dread meeting him on the battlefield, not only because of his prowess as a knight, but also because it would benefit both kingdoms for Prince Xander to survive his father and ascend to the throne."

"You sound like you regret leaving Nohr."

"Not at all. King Garon is in the wrong, and to return to Nohr would be to try to take down the current regime from within. Far too difficult, and too dangerous. I want to win this war for Hoshido and then…I suppose I would become an ambassador to Nohr, working to foster a more peaceful relationship between the country in which I was born and the one in which I was raised. …I was somewhat secluded throughout my childhood, so I can't say for sure, but I believe that at heart, most Nohrians would probably prefer Prince Xander to King Garon as well. That's why I want to minimize casualties. We'd be killing good people forced to follow the orders of an evil king. …Now that sounds black and white. That's the exact opposite of how I see things, which is why I was so conflicted."

"Seems clear enough to me. You think King Garon needs to be stopped and that Prince Xander will make Nohr a better place. Optimistic, to be sure, but…when you talk about him, it almost sounds as though you could be talking about Lord Ryoma. Am I wrong?"

"…No, you aren't. There are certain similarities between them—between all of my respective family members. Well, maybe not Leo and Takumi; they seem pretty different aside from being really, really blunt. But Ryoma and Xander both have the same calm demeanor and air of natural leadership…Hinoka and Camilla are both highly protective of their younger siblings and…perhaps a bit quick-tempered…" Corrin trailed off, knowing whose retainer he was speaking to.

Hana sat down on Corrin's bed, or the one he was using tonight at any rate. "And Lady Sakura? Does she have an opposite number among your former family in Nohr?"

Corrin couldn't help but smile, thinking about Elise. "Does she ever. More than anything else, the toughest part of my decision was knowing that either way I chose, I'd be letting down a sweet, gentle little girl who just wants everyone to be happy, who doesn't want to fight and would even heal enemy soldiers if she stumbled upon them wounded…and who looked up to me with adoring eyes and called me 'big brother'. …But Elise isn't shy like Sakura is, so hopefully my other former siblings will hesitate to kill me for fear of making Elise cry."

"…She sounds sweet. And you said she's a noncombatant?" Corrin nodded. "That's good; I'm sure that once this war is over, she and Lady Sakura will be good friends." Hana laid back on the bed. "I don't know why I asked so much about the Nohrian royals, though. It's so much easier to fight if I don't know my enemy, and we'll probably still have to fight them. Now that you've told me that Prince Xander is a lot like Lord Ryoma, I don't know if I could fight him. I kind of idolize Lord Ryoma; he's a swordsman on a whole other level, and the way Lady Sakura talks about him makes me wish I had an older brother like that."

Corrin was still standing, and he nodded, before realizing that there was a slight problem. "Uh, Hana? You do realize that you're sprawled out on my bed, right?"

Hana bolted upright, blushing. "You better not have peeked!"

"I promise, I was a perfect gentleman."

Hana decided that it wasn't an issue worth pressing. "Get some rest, Lord Corrin. We need to be fresh for tomorrow."


	2. B

A Man for Flowers  
by Cyberchao X

CCX: I originally thought of making this a one-shot, despite the many time skips, but eventually decided to break it up. As in the first chapter, parts of the first conversation in this chapter are taken from the actual Hana/Corrin support chain (in this case, the B-rank), even though the circumstances are completely different. So I guess maybe there will be four chapters? …Or not, because it's fairly explicit that the B and A conversations take place not too far apart, and it'd be tough to put a whole chapter between them.

* * *

"Up late training again, Lord Corrin? You really need to take better care of yourself. I may have to yell at Kaze; he's clearly not doing his job as a retainer properly."

Corrin looked up at the clear sky. "I have two retainers, you know. And if this is your normal early-morning training, you're up _extremely_ early."

"Yeah, but I don't know Silas very well yet. Most of our army is still a bit hesitant to trust him, being Nohrian, so…he's kind of an outsider here. But, uh…you caught me. I was hoping you'd just assume you'd stayed up the whole night again, but I guess you can read the sky."

"I'm learning. Much like its king, Nohr is cold and bleak; I've never seen a sky as clear as the ones I've seen in Hoshido."

"That's not all you're learning, or trying to. That style looks familiar, and not because it's the one you'd been using when you arrived here."

"Yeah…Nohrian swords and Hoshidan katanas are quite similar, but there are certain differences, so I feel like I need to get better at a Hoshidan style if I want to wield the Yato to its fullest potential. It feels awkward, though, since I'm so used to the style I learned from Lord Xander."

"Well, I could train you if you want. Unless you don't want to train with a girl?"

"Hana, what would make you think that?"

"…Never mind. So then we can train together?"

"We'd need to synchronize our schedules, but yeah. I can try to shift to waking up early instead of staying up late." Corrin paused. "Have you…no, forget it."

"What is it, Lord Corrin?"

"No, you made your intentions clear. I don't want to pry."

"…Oh. Yes, I have experienced prejudice among samurai because I'm a girl. That's part of why I train so hard."

"Dare I ask what the other part is?"

"I come from a long line of samurai. Back in Izumo, I said that Lord Ryoma is my idol, but my original idol, my inspiration, was my father. He was a model samurai, who devoted everything to King Sumeragi. More than once, he saved the king's life, either by slaying those who threatened the king, or by protecting him from danger. He gave the king everything he could, whenever he could. The stories of his accomplishments fill me with pride. He passed from this world while he was protecting the king. But even in death, he fulfilled his purpose—his devotion to the king symbolized his life. For a samurai, to die in service is really the best possible death."

"I see. I understand your mindset much better now. Though I don't think that dying itself is something to be respected. Even if you protect your master, I don't think it's wise to throw your life away."

"What?! Are you saying my father was foolish to do what he did?!"

"Calm down, Hana. You'll wake the rest of the army, shouting like that in the middle of the night." Corrin looked off towards the door to the decks. "False alarm, Saizo."

"…How did you find me?"

Corrin grinned. "We're on a ship. Not many places to hide. But it was still a lucky guess; I figured you would still be surveilling me. Is Kagero with you?"

"No, we take turns during the night. …Once we find Lord Ryoma, I'm sure he'd be willing to train you in the ways of the katana."

"I can train Lord Corrin just fine!" Hana said huffily. Corrin couldn't help but grin. Saizo quietly took his leave. "What's so funny?"

"You kind of reminded me of Elise just now. She always puffs her cheeks out like that when she's mad."

"…Hey, yeah, that's right, I'm still mad at you!" And then Hana left.

* * *

Upon arriving in Cyrkensia, the Hoshidan army encountered King Garon himself, accompanied by Princess Elise. Zola turned on them, and was killed by King Garon for requesting that he show Corrin mercy. They had no choice but to run, and encountered Prince Xander and his retainers.

"Good morning, Hana."

"Wa! L-Lord Corrin…I didn't expect you to be able to wake up early so soon. …You _have_ slept, right?"

"Yes, Hana, I have. Thank you for your concern. Shall we begin?"

"Sure. We'll start out simple to warm up. …So that was Princess Elise?"

"I didn't expect you to be so talkative during training."

"I won't be once we really get going. She's almost as pretty as Lady Sakura, and you said she shares her kind demeanor…I see why you'd have trouble betraying her trust. …And I finally got to see Prince Xander's combat skill up close. You weren't lying about that, at any rate…though I'm not sure if I see the similarities in demeanor."

"Well, I'll admit, I haven't had much time to get to know Ryoma. You'd probably know him better than I do. But you've only seen Xander from the perspective of an enemy combatant; I'm sure that Ryoma is every bit as imposing to his enemies."

"Fair enough. Now, enough talk. Have at you!" They both giggled a bit at this.

* * *

Corrin soaked himself in the hot springs. _"That was quite a workout…how does she do it? I'm practically ready to go back to bed…_ Finally, he was ready to leave.

"Eek! I-I'm sorry, Lord Corrin!"

Corrin quickly wrapped his towel around his waist. "It's fine, Hana, I was just leaving anyway. Didn't realize you were that close to the end of your training for the day." He tried to avert his eyes from her as he left.

If he hadn't, he might have noticed that the samurai's eyes had been locked on his chest the entire time. _"He's…actually pretty ripped. How did I not notice that?_ "

* * *

CCX: Okay, I stand corrected. Short chapter, but it is what it is.


	3. A

A Man for Flowers  
by Cyberchao X

CCX: …Now I haven't the slightest clue how many chapters there will be, because I've gone and stacked the romantic tension too high, and have them on the verge of confessing right then and there at the end of what should be only the A-level.

* * *

"I'm sorry about the other day, Hana," Corrin said.

Hana blushed. "I-it's fine…wait, what are _you_ sorry about? I'm the one who should be apologizing! Unless…you were staring at me?!"

"W-w-wha!" Corrin turned bright red. "N-no, I wasn't…I mean, I tried to avoid looking at you as much as possible…not that you're hard to look at; you're really very pretty, but it just…I'm sorry!"

Hana laughed. "Nohrian women must not be very attractive, if you think _I'm_ pretty. Though your 'siblings' sure seem to disprove that…and one of Princess Camilla's retainers was fairly attractive, too."

"The redheaded one? I'm not sure she's even Nohrian. She, Laslow, and Odin just sort of showed up one day, and their prowess was so undeniable that they became valued retainers. Laslow you saw; he's Xander's retainer. Odin's one of Leo's; we haven't encountered him yet. He's a Dark Mage."

"Like Zola?"

"…No, even after seeing his Izana impression, I'm not sure Zola could pull off Odin's unique brand of crazy."

"Couldn't have been any crazier than that Peri chick. And before you ask how I knew that name, she seemed to like identifying herself in battle."

"Different type of crazy. Odin doesn't make you afraid to turn your back to him; he just…well, I think he has a very healthy imagination."

"Right. So, shall we get started? I was hoping maybe you could teach me some Nohrian swordsmanship as well? It would be helpful to know other styles, and I don't think Silas would be much help, since he fights on a horse." She was glad that the conversation had shifted quickly enough that she didn't have to admit that _she'd_ been staring at _him_.

"That's certainly a different style in its own right. The only Hoshidan mounted units I've seen are all fliers." Corrin was equally relieved that Hana hadn't dwelled on his admission that he thought she was pretty. "Ah, but I was actually apologizing for what I'd said on the ship to Cyrkensia, not what happened the following morning. I…didn't express myself very well. What I meant was that you told me you didn't like someone who made Sakura cry. What do you think would happen if you followed in your father's footsteps and died protecting her?"

"She'd be devastated. It would take weeks for me to calm her down."

"Hana, think about what you just said."

"…It would take _months_ for Subaki to calm her down." Hana sighed. "You are, as always, correct, Lord Corrin. I can't follow in my father's footsteps, because Lady Sakura would be sad. Besides…I'm an only child. If I had a brother, it would be his duty to continue the family's legacy, but since I'm the only one who can, I have to keep living to keep the family alive."

"You mean you have to live long enough to find a husband and have a baby? That's a surprisingly feminine goal, Miss Hana," Corrin teased, unbalancing the samurai enough for him to get through her defenses. "You really shouldn't let your guard down in a battle."

"You're mean! I can't believe you'd tease me like that! …Besides, didn't you just say that you thought I was pretty? If that's the case, then there's no reason why I should be ashamed to be feminine."

"…Damn it. Thought we'd slipped past that."

"Nope. You teased me; it's only fair that I get to tease you. You told me that you don't mind me speaking my mind."

"Yeah. You're honest with me. I like that."

"…Maybe you should take Saizo's advice and have Lord Ryoma teach you how to properly wield a katana."

"…Hana? Did I do something wrong?"

"No. No, you did nothing wrong…Lord Corrin."

* * *

"Geez, what's got you so down?" Hinoka asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Everything's fine," Corrin protested.

"I agree. This is a problem with an obvious solution," Subaki interjected.

"Maybe it's obvious to you, 'Mr. Perfect'…wait, what makes you think you know what my problem is?!"

"Yes, please, illuminate us," Hinoka said.

"You're clearly torn up by this as well, Lord Corrin. I suggest that you just confess."

"Okay, what are you accusing my brother of?" Hinoka asked angrily. "Don't think I'll go easy on you just because of…what we discussed yesterday."

"…You mean when I _confessed_ my feelings for you?"

"Yes, when…oh."

Subaki nodded. "Indeed. As Lady Sakura's retainer, it is my duty to make sure she is being taken care of to the utmost degree, and that requires not only that I be at my peak, but also that my partner be able to perform at _her_ peak. She's fallen for you _hard_ , Lord Corrin, and judging by your reaction to her attempts to distance herself from you, it seems that you have feelings for her as well. …I must confess, I've come to care about Hana's well-being as well. She's a reliable partner, and for all of my strengths, I have never been able to hold the same place in my liege's heart as Hana."

"…You're certain that she feels that way about me?"

"Naturally. I _am_ perfect, after all."

* * *

CCX: I really don't like Subaki as a character. He's meant to be a male Cordelia, but Cordelia's far more relatable because she recoils at the praise heaped upon her, whereas Subaki is his own biggest fan. Having him paired with Hinoka for this fic is, well…I felt like I had to pair him with someone, and this fic is set on the Birthright path so I can't pair him with the only _real_ option. Hinoka seemed like a good option. And looking at their conversation, it seems like it's actually a support line where Subaki _isn't_ an arrogant prick, so more power to Hinoka for that. Now, I'm going to try to wrap this up.


	4. S

A Man for Flowers  
by Cyberchao X

There was a knocking on Corrin's door. "Go away," he said.

"B-big brother? Please open up."

Corrin opened the door. "Sakura?" Sakura rushed through the door and hugged Corrin. "What's wrong?"

"You know exactly what's wrong. I just…want to make sure you're okay."

"Of course I'm not okay. I just watched a man die to protect me. I…feel responsible."

"Kaze did what he did to save you. You're important to all of us, big brother. Don't ever forget that."

"Still…I feel like I could've done more. If only I had paid more attention, or something, maybe Kaze would still be…"

"Don't beat yourself up over this." Sakura refused to let go. "I…I'm going to stay here until you're feeling better."

"You're so sweet. But, you know, two adult siblings spending the night together…people will talk."

Sakura blushed. "Big brother!"

"Hey, I'm just looking out for you. I know that you're just being a concerned little sister, but people might get the wrong idea."

"Fine. Then you're coming with me. I don't want you being alone. If I can't keep you company myself, I can at least order Subaki to keep an eye on you."

Corrin sighed. "I _do_ still have one retainer, you know. And he's proven his loyalty to our cause."

"I-I know…" Sakura blushed.

"Oh?"

"Uh…nothing. It's embarrassing."

"Okay then. Shall we be going?"

"You're okay with that?"

"No, but since you insist, I won't argue."

* * *

"Lady Sakura!" Hana called out.

"Here I am," Sakura replied. "I just wanted to make sure my brother was okay after…well…wait, big brother, where'd you go?" Sakura found Corrin trying to hide. "What happened to listening to my advice?"

"…I'm sorry, Sakura."

"…Don't take it personally, Lady Sakura. Just leave this to me."

"No. Go away. You're the last person I want to talk to right now, Hana."

Hana looked stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered. "No, Lord Corrin. You're going to listen to what I have to say. Lady Sakura, you might want to leave. This is probably going to get pretty heated."

"No, stay, Sakura." Corrin grabbed his sister's hand. "You should hear this." He turned back to Hana. "This is exactly what I was talking about, Hana. I haven't even known Kaze for that long, and I'm still all broken up over his sacrifice. This is what your stupid 'honor' would get you."

"So Kaze should've just tried to save himself?! Obviously, dying in the service of your lord is a last resort, because once you're dead, you can't keep protecting them anymore. But, yes, Kaze died an honorable death, and you need to get over yourself and accept that."

"…I know he did. That's why I'm so upset. I've thought of myself as a Nohrian prince my entire life, and yet within a few months, a Hoshidan ninja laid down his life for me. …Hana. Promise me that you won't let your duty consume you."

"I can't make that promise. Protecting the royal family is my life. In that situation, I'd have done the same thing as Kaze did."

"…That's the first time I've heard you say 'the royal family' rather than 'Lady Sakura'."

"D-don't change the subject!" Hana turned red.

"No. It makes me glad. Because…I am worried about how Sakura's siblings seem to keep stealing away her retainers." Corrin let go of Sakura's hand to close the gap between himself and Hana and took her hand instead. "The truth is…Sakura's not the only one who would be devastated if you died. I've…fallen for you, Hana. And when you tried to push me away…it made me really sad. …Damnit, now I can't help but wonder if Kaze would still be here if I was more alert, if I hadn't been stuck in my own goddamn head… I'm not blaming you, though."

"Why not?! I deserve it, if you really think your feelings for me put you in that position. Because…because the reason I pushed you away was because I had feelings for you, but…I thought it would be wrong to act on them. You're a prince, and I'm just a humble samurai…and that night, when I walked in on you… _I_ was the one who was staring." She blushed again.

"Uh, wait, what?" Sakura asked, while Corrin blushed as well.

"Y-you were?"

"Y-yeah. You're…really handsome, Lord Corrin."

"No more of this 'Lord' Corrin business, Hana. We're equals now, remember? And…I'm not going to just let you protect me, either. I'll protect you, too."

"I'd like that."

"I-I'll leave you two alone now," Sakura said. "But before I go…what did you mean, _keep_ stealing away my retainers?"

"…wait, you didn't know?" Corrin asked.

"Don't look at me, Sakura, I don't know what he's talking about either."

"Subaki confessed to Hinoka a few days ago. They're a couple now."

"Oh. Wow, so both of my retainers are going to be part of my family now?!"

"Seems that way. But…it would be a bit strange, having your in-laws as your retainers. You should have someone else to serve you. Ah, perfect, just who I was looking for."

"My lord, what is your command?" Jakob asked.

"My dear sweet little sister seems to be losing all of her retainers. You are to keep her safe and treat her commands as though they were my own."

"M-my lord?"

"That's an order."

"Yes, sir."

"Well, now that _that's_ sorted out…" Corrin kissed Hana. "We should probably get to training. It's a good way to deal with the pain of today's loss. Unless you'd rather get sweaty some _other_ way?"

Hana turned bright red. "Training's fine!"

Corrin laughed. "Yeah, I think so, too. There'll be plenty of time for us to do that, right?"

"…Yeah."

"Hana?"

"They were already planning on having another child. I…wouldn't be surprised if Azura was already pregnant again. …We should get started, before things get too depressing."

* * *

CCX: Yes, we wrapped this up right at _that_ part of the story. Chapter 15. I felt like having Kaze suffer his storyline death made for a better backdrop for this final chapter. Also, marrying Azura and Kaze in Birthright and allowing Kaze to suffer the story death is the only way to make Shigure an only child, since Midori's paralogue won't unlock until after Kaze survives that chapter.

...I ended up leaving this completed for four days before publishing it. I think subconsciously I was disappointed with how it turned out, because the first chapter was far longer than the others and I usually like to make the chapters grow longer as a fic goes on.


End file.
